Tension at Asikesu as GREL destroys cocoa farms; four arrested

Tension is mounting at Asikesu, a farming community near Asamankese in the Eastern region over the destruction of about 2000 acres of farmlands by the Ghana Rubber Estate Development Limited (GREL).

The aggrieved land owners, secured a court injunction at the Koforidua High Court to halt a project by GREL citing unlawful entry into their farmlands and the destruction of their cocoa farms.

However, the Police in Asamankese later arrested four of the family members and put them in Police custody.

The four persons arrested included the Abakomahene of the Aduana Royal Family, Baffuor Ampem Otibu Darko over allegations that he was planning a deadly attack on the Company and a self-acclaimed Chief for the area, Kwasi Konadu, who was accused of conniving with some powerful Chiefs in Akyem Abuakwa to release the lands to the Rubber company without the consent of family members.

The others arrested included a 27-year-old who is alleged to have been set up by the Police who planted two locally manufactured pistols on him to implicate him on assassination allegations.

Reports indicate that the Police has on two occasions re-arrested three of the suspects including the Abakomahene after they were discharged by a district court.

It took the intervention of the Eastern Regional Police Crime officer who granted them Police enquiry bail when petitioned.

However, the 27-year-old man arrested for allegedly possessing arms was taken to Koforidua Circuit Court "A" instead of Court "B" by the prosecutor ostensibly to prevent his lawyers from securing him bail.

Speaking to Starr News, the Abakomahene of Aduana Family accused the Police and some high profile chiefs in Akyem Abuakwa of colluding to take over the family lands for the GREL.

He, however, added that the family will employ all means to resist the company from taking over their lands.

Attempts by the Akyem Abuakwa Traditional Council to resolve the impasse has not yielded results.